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ET (Excited & Terrified)

The chances are you are familiar with the film ET, an extra-terrestrial who is short, has big feet and you don’t understand a word it says (very similar to my first girlfriend, come to think of it?)

ET had travelled from another galaxy. And a bit like all of us who are already here, ET was here to learn a lesson. His mission was for ‘ET go home’ and he went about it by getting to know the youngsters of today (which some people still believe are from another planet?). He quickly twigged that if you focus on relationships, genuinely care and enjoy a good laugh with other ‘beings’ then you have the opportunity of feeling human. An occasional beer also helps.

And ET also got busy. It would have been an entirely different movie if, after being abandoned, ET had thought “Nightmare, this is like soooo unfair that they’ve left me behind. I’ll just sit here and wait until they come back and get me”. Even worse if he’d merely sought out the nearest human and had a right good moan (“You wouldn’t believe the kind of day I’ve had…”).

But no, our chum got his long fingers everywhere and had fun meeting people, getting drunk, going to parties, dressing up and watching TV (any parallels with young people today is purely coincidental) whilst also doing a favour for the BMX marketing board.

And ET’s main lesson? Accept the circumstances you are currently in and understand you are exactly where you need to be. At this moment in time all and you have to do is stay positive and make the right decisions. You will know when you’re there because, just like ET, you’ll get a magical glow on the inside that Excites and Terrifies you.

Andy Whittaker